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iPod Owners Not As Loyal To Brand As Mac Owners 299

Posted by Zonk from the chink-in-the-armor dept.
Virtual_Raider writes "A survey indicates that iPod owners may not be as loyal to their devices as Mac owners are to their computers, thus opening the possibility for Microsoft's Zune to enter the market. Surveyed people also indicated a high likelihood of buying the much maligned brown device. But that doesn't mean that the market is now at Microsoft's mercy." From the article: "ABI Research believes that a critical factor will be whether or not Microsoft can differentiate the Zune from competing products in some meaningful way. One differentiator, Zune's Wi-Fi peer-to-peer sharing, which Microsoft is playing up heavily, 'isn't all that compelling, at least not now,' notes Wilson. 'There's a lot more you could do with that capability.' But given the results of ABI Research's survey, Apple will need to make some big announcements in 2007 if it is to maintain its edge in the industry. Says Wilson, 'Apple needs a new high-end device that works really well and looks really cool, because other brands are catching up.'"
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iPod Owners Not As Loyal To Brand As Mac Owners More

iPod Owners Not As Loyal To Brand As Mac Owners

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  • Unthinkable! (Score:5, Funny)

    by eldavojohn ( 898314 ) * <eldavojohn@noSpAM.gmail.com> on Friday November 03, 2006 @10:21AM (#16702301) Journal
    What?! Issue the alert for all iPod owners to report immediately to Sector Woz for re-Jobsification [neatorama.com]!

    You know, it's crazy when a consumer tells you that if another product is better they would probably switch to it. Pure madness. Everyone knows that when you buy an electronics device, you have committed to a long term relationship to the manufacturer! The world is awash with computing hussies! How many times must we stress monogamous relationships with your MP3 players? And now you can walk down the street and people are just giving it away for free! I try to warn everyone but this is exactly how you get infected [slashdot.org]!

    I dated a girl once and she had the gall to own three or for different brands of music players. Yeah, I know it's disgusting. I eventually had to break up with her--I kept having nightmares of her with just ear buds and headphones sticking out of her ears ... and the whole time Bill Gates was standing there with a coffee mug snorting and laughing. I just couldn't look at her the same anymore ... and then when she bought a third party docking station, I just had to break it off. Don't worry, nothing of mine ever touched her ears. Whore.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by aplusjimages ( 939458 )
      Was your ex-girlfriend one of those people who's TV brand didn't match their DVD player brand, which didn't match their surround sound system brand? Those people make me sick.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by 93,000 ( 150453 )
        A setup like that makes in not even worth watching a movie at all. Pathetic, really. Now I'm depressed just thinking about it.
      • Pff that's nothing, I had one whose brand of keyboard didn't even match the brand of mouse. Now THAT is lousy. How are you supposed to get any work done with *that* kind of obvious mismatch staring you in the face

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by jZnat ( 793348 ) *
        Bose makes TVs? ;p

  • but can Zune become the new iPod? No. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by yagu ( 721525 ) * <yayagu@[ ]il.com ['gma' in gap]> on Friday November 03, 2006 @10:22AM (#16702311) Journal

    iPod may be falling victim to its own popularity. Marketing, excellent design, cachet, marketing, cuteness, and marketing gave Apple a great foothold in the portable music player market. iPod is a great product (I don't own one, don't intend to), and captured the imagination of a public wanting the next new cool thing.

    Problem is, the next new cool thing isn't new anymore. And with so many owning iPods now, it's almost not even cool anymore. With Apple's continued re-invention of iPod, iPod has managed to keep iPod as "next".

    The loyalty for iPod is different from the loyalty for Mac. iPod is more public, more connected to the owner (until there are wearable Macs)... Once the newness and coolness factors wear off owners want the next greatest thingy that shows their hipness.

    So, can Zune fulfill that and capture Apple's market? Maybe. But Microsoft has been kicked around so much lately I think any product by Microsoft is likely to scream "I'm cool". To accomplish the deed, the Zune would almost have to be sublime. Microsoft brought some interesting ideas (wireless, community, sharing), but in typical MS fashion appears to be delivering a product so wrapped around the axle and DRM'ed I can't imagine it will catch fire.

    Yes, the survey indicates a high number of iPod users could/would switch, but polls and surveys in a commercial setting hardly bring credence to the point. My guess, far fewer would really switch than indicated by the survey.

    And I also think we're not far from some kind of Apple "new" iPod with better screens, and wireless... and the new iPod will be compatible with the old line, and you can bet they'll continue to trump MS in usability. For me, "It Just Works" is better than "Plays for Sure" (I know, MS has abandoned that for the Zune, but whatever the new catchphrase, it's code for "only plays with MS stuff).

    Time will tell, but I'll continue to put my money on Apple.

    • " but whatever the new catchphrase, it's code for "only plays with MS stuff). "

      Why would they even want to claim this? Buried in the specs is the fact that it plays the music-file standard of MP3 files....something far different from the Microsoft controlled WMA etc.

      "Buried in footnote 4 of its press release, Microsoft clearly states that "Zune software can import audio files in unprotected WMA, MP3, AAC; photos in JPEG; and videos in WMV, MPEG-4, H.264" (from here [72.14.203.104]
    • For me, "It Just Works" is better than "Plays for Sure" (I know, MS has abandoned that for the Zune, but whatever the new catchphrase, it's code for "only plays with MS stuff).
      To be fair, FairPlay only works with Apple stuff, for now. A better code for PlaysForSure might be "only works with stuff that doesn't work."
    • Yes whatever will Apple do about the Zune? Microsoft don't include either a cable for syncing or an AC adaptor. The Zune is pretty useless out of the box. If they are both part of that ($99) pack then surely it's because it's not already included. http://www.zune.net/en-us/accessories/zune/zuneho m eavpack.htm [zune.net]

      Interesting I can't see anywhere on the Zune site where it actually states that the Zune comes with headphones. Does it? If it does include them then what are they like?

  • Apple is waiting to do it right, and because they (Score:3, Interesting)

    by daveschroeder ( 516195 ) * on Friday November 03, 2006 @10:23AM (#16702321)
    Apple still doesn't have any real competition to the iPod. And each "iPod killer" that has come has also, well, gone. There's frankly no reason to believe Zune is any different, especially given the lackluster reviews and ho-hum reception.

    And don't worry. Apple's next generation device (with wireless, and so on) is coming:

    http://hrmpf.com/wordpress/90/apple-describes-new- interface-for-ipod [hrmpf.com]
    http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/10/20061026073 133.shtml [macrumors.com]

    • Gone? (Score:2)

      by krell ( 896769 )
      "Apple still doesn't have any real competition to the iPod. And each "iPod killer" that has come has also, well, gone"

      Each one, gone? I was at a few stores last weekend and found several brands of "Ipod killers" on the shelves along with the iPods. They've not succeeded in their mission of killing the iPod, but they do linger on.
      • I'm not saying they all disappeared or got discontinued.

        I'm saying that they've "gone" metaphorically, because they rolled onto the scene as "iPod killers" and did, well, nothing. And they're definitely "gone" from any relevance or discussion with regard to the iPod. Zune is now the latest on the scene.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by krell ( 896769 )
          There's that Sandisk player [nextag.com] that looks more appealing than the iPod Nano it competes with. I wonder what might be wrong with it? I have to admit a prejudice against Apple for all those years then their products were known as being twice as expensive, lacking features, and being quirky and hard to use. I know they are better now.

          • It has a couple of disadvantages, some of them purely subjective:

            • Not as pretty
            • Not as cool
            • The spin wheel isn't, by all accounts I've read, as nice or smooth as the Nano's scroll wheel.
            • Twice as thick, twice as heavy, slightly taller
            • Won't work with iTunes.
            • You'll have a hard time finding someone with one so that they can tell you whether it is worth buying or not.

            I'm sure it has some advantages, too, but you asked what might be wrong with it :) It seems to be slightly cheaper, depending on your definit

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by krell ( 896769 )
              I don't care about iTunes, actually. One big advantage appears to be video (which Nano does not have). After I left my message, I went to Amazon, and there are more than 200 reviews, which takes care of your last point.
              • That's why it's nice that there are so many players to choose from... you'd have a hard time not finding one that suits you. You might want to read some of those reviews on Amazon before you buy this player for video, however :) It apparently only saves movies in 10-minute chunks, which really seems to ruin the experience for people. On the other hand, if you really need to watch video on a 1.7" screen, this may be the only game in town. It also has an FM radio and voice recorder, if that's what you're into

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by krell ( 896769 )
                  "It also has an FM radio and voice recorder,"

                  That actually bugs me, because of how it is incomplete. I'd much rather have an AM tuner than an FM one. What good is half a radio...

                  "Just curious... what music player do you use?"

                  The answer? None. Still considering getting one some day.
                  • No, I meant on your PC... what do you use in place of iTunes?

                    • Re: (Score:2)

                      by krell ( 896769 )
                      I use the old Winamp. When I last tried iTunes, I got rid of it due to the bad user interface (this was during the unfortunate "Aqua" fad when Apple desingers actually thought it was a good idea to have a GUI made of light-blue letters on light-blue backgrounds)
                    • I actually liked the old Winamp, but my collection outgrew it... I need something that helps keep my music organized now :)
        • I don't believe any of them were or are "iPod killers", since most of the brands (not models) themselves had mp3 players long before the iPod hit the scene. And again, I really don't think that any of these companies (with the exception of MS, maybe) are sitting around saying to themselves "How do we become iPod killers?"

          The term "iPod killer" itself is just a journalism blink tag.

    • I think what is happening is that the high price (US$150) of a decently-featured iPod nano 2 GB (remember, the iPod Shuffle totally lacks a display, which is a turnoff for many users) is creating a demand for low-cost portable music players.

      Remember, Windows XP users can "rip" their CD collection using Windows Media Player 10 and copy the music to various low-cost (but decently-featured) players for under US$100, many of which sport as much as 2 GB of flash memory storage. For example, you can get a Creativ

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Sancho ( 17056 )
      My wife has an iPod. It's pretty nice. The interface is fantastic and clean, and the software for transferring music to it works reasonably well.

      That said, I probably wouldn't want one. I'd just as soon have something cheaper, frankly, even if it meant that I couldn't play ITMS music.

      And that brings me to the reason that iPods stay in the market: DRM. Apple has created an artificial need to stay with iPod if you use ITMS. Anyone who has purchased music through ITMS loses their ability to play their mu
  • 'There's a lot more you could do with that capability.'

    Like what?
    • Connect to Urgue (or iTunes Store when the WiFi iPod comes out). Sharing songs is a good feature but the daft three play limit makes the whole thing feel controlled. Like the shop assistant is watching that you don't read the whole comic in the store.

      I video iPod with WiFi that had a mobile web browser in it would also be cool.
      • downloading a song over wi-fi will kill your battery life faster than you can say my battery's dead. So you download a song or two while at the local wifi cafe. big deal, but you just lost a couple of hours of play back on already weak batteries.

        Tablet PC's haven't failed due to bad design, or lack of innovation, but because they need to be recharged two to three times in a typical 8 hour work day, and more when the person s on their 10th or 12th hour.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by cnettel ( 836611 )
          A Pocket PC can certainly download a few MBs worth without hurting the uptime that badly, given that you turn it (the wifi) off afterwards. It's a bit like having a HD in the iPod in the first place, it sucks power, so keep it on only when needed.
        • downloading a song over wi-fi will kill your battery life faster than you can say my battery's dead.

          But downloading a song over wi-fi from someone else's zune won't?
  • the obligatory "Apple Is Doomed" sentence which a requirement for any serious reportage of the folks in Cupertino.
  • Add on outlook. Connect to open access points and allow them to get their emails.
  • Ok, I realize that not everybody who has an iPod uses iTunes (i don't) but if people buy iTunes, they can't not be loyal. What's the alternative? Burn all your songs to CD and re-rip to MP3, which loses quality? Throw away all your music and buy it in another format? Break the DMCA in order to transfer music to your new player? It's just easier to buy a new iPod when your old one dies, or isn't good enough. iPods have only been really mainstream for a couple years, but I think people are really going to s
    • "but I think people are really going to start to feel the pinch of DRM once the Zune and other MP3 phones start to become more popular."

      Since MP3 is free of DRM, how could someone with an MP3 phone get pinched by DRM???
      • Because they want to buy an MP3 phone, but then realize that they can't play any of their already purchased iTunes on it. It's not the player that's the problem, it's the format they have bought their music in. That's why I said it was specific to people who buy iTunes. When they get a new portable music device, it has to be an iPod, or they can't play any of the music they bought.
      • MP3 have indeed no real DRM, but on most phones, all you need is to set a "copyright bit" in the file header. Then, downloaded music (or ringtones) cannot be copied back from the phone.
        It is also always possible to create a DRMed file format using a MP3 base by simply encripting the MP3 data and then feed a regular MP3 player with the decripted data every time the DRM says it's OK.
    • Break the DMCA in order to transfer music to your new player?

      Bingo. It's not our fault that the music companies spent all of that lobbyist money on a dumb law. I think that, somehow, I will be able to get to sleep at night even if I break the DMCA.

  • why is this surprising? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by boredandblogging.com ( 983263 ) on Friday November 03, 2006 @10:34AM (#16702465) Homepage
    Gung-ho Mac users think Apple has changed their life (for the better). Most people who buy iPods do it because its cool and cute (gag). The same people who bought iPods because they were cool are just going to move on to the next cool thing.

    • I think you're more or less right. Apple hasn't changed my life, but I do feel like they've changed my computing experience (for the better). (I'm a mac user). I know a lot of non-mac users who still feel like the iPod has changed their life, but there are others who have had mp3 players before and just bought the iPod because they felt it was the best mp3 player out there. If someone puts together a better computer/OS/media store/mp3 player/movie player, I think a whole lot of these people (including me

    • I bought an ipod b/c of how I could integrate it into my car stereo (an Alpine head unit which fully controls the ipod and basically uses it as a HD for the music). At that time I didn't know of any other music players that could integrate so seamlessly with a digital music player. The downside is that if my ipod ever breaks I'll have to replace it with another ipod, but I knew that going in and accepted the risk.

      I don't use itms though. I'll just go buy the CD if I want to purchase music.
    • I am a technical person and I bought an iPod because Creative's own firmware update software fried my Zen Micro. The warranty was up, so I would have had to pay them to get them to fix what their shitty software destroyed. I don't want to be an IT guy during my off hours, I just want my stuff to work.

      Also, the iPod is becoming a standard, for better or worse. It has the most accessories, and all kinds of other devices will work with it. Being a rugged individualist with a broken music player kind of suc

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Queer Boy ( 451309 )
      When's the next cool thing gonna happen? Because it's been 5 years now waiting for the next cool thing. I'm not sure about you but I think that clearly falls out of the "fad" realm.
  • Methodology: data contained within this report is derived from a Web-based survey among a nationally-balanced and demographically-representative sample of 1,725 online consumers (age 18 and older). The consumer survey was conducted in October 2006. Respondents were provided a photo and description of the Microsoft Zune device before being asked about their likelihood to choose it over a competitive MP3 player.

    Sounds kind of fishy to me. Did they include the price of the unit? Did they also show people a
    • Especially considering that they don't break out "somewhat likely" from the stronger responses in their statistics. Many people aren't going to completely discount a product the first time they see it - they'll say somewhat likely and then make a real decision when they have more information. The 58% of iPod owners could be 50% somewhat likelies and 8% stronger responses, for all we know.

      I'm not saying the Zune won't take *any* business away from the iPod. I'm sure it'll make a dent in the 75-80%. But ass

  • This just in... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by BadMrMojo ( 767184 ) on Friday November 03, 2006 @10:35AM (#16702479)
    Harley Davidson bandana owners not nearly as loyal to brand as Harley Davidson motorcycle owners.

    Film at 11.

    Seriously... what did you expect?
  • Thanks to the good people at AppleGeeks, I have a new word to describe the brown Zune.

    DooDooPod.
  • - No repair service. (You dropped your $400 iPod and broke it, well, buy another.)
    - Battery expires after 18 months (See repair service comment above)

    I mean, Apple's telling you that you've got a short-lived device, so naturally people will look for alternatives.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by weave ( 48069 )

      My 10gig first gen ipod still works fine. To be fair, I rarely listen to it so it hasn't exceeded the number of recharge cycles on the battery yet.

      If you use an ipod everyday, discharge it fully and recharge it daily, then yeah, it's only going to last like around a year. You also got a heck of a lot of use out of it too.

  • Isn't this sort of a no brainer? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Thansal ( 999464 ) on Friday November 03, 2006 @10:39AM (#16702525)
    Mac owners are there for the OS for the most part, iPod owners are there because it is "THE MP3 Player" (Often they don't even know wth an MP3 player is, they only know that it is an iPod).

    MacOS is something that is substantialy different then other things like it (windows/linux/etc), where as most MP3 players are relativly the same (UI being the big thing that iPods stand out with).

    Just think about it, try and get a windows/mac/linux usser to switch to another OS. Hard, often futile.
    Try and get some one to use a different CD Player/VCR/DVD player? If you can just go "look, it is more efficent and costs less" and tadah, they switch (Assuming they need a new device).

    meh.

    If some one can create a device that is better and/or cheaper, people will switch.
    • Get off your high horse. Most people who use an ipod know full well what an mp3 and an mp3 player is. This whole "joe sixpack knows nothing" is bullshit.

  • Who here thinks the Zune is cool?

    The iPod is a design classic.

    Microsoft have essentially copied a classic. Which would you prefer, a VW Beetle or a copy that looks similar to it and has a couple of extra features? A Harley Davidson Sportster or a similar looking bike.

    The big mistake Microsoft has made with the Zune is copying. It's a music player - there are any number of physical forms it could come in, why did they just copy the iPod?

    • Microsoft have essentially copied a classic. Which would you prefer, a VW Beetle or a copy that looks similar to it and has a couple of extra features? A Harley Davidson Sportster or a similar looking bike.

      Whichever's cheaper as long as they are around the same quality. Welcome to the Chinese knockoff 21st century. I could really give a shit if it's "official" if it works and it's cheaper. Everything is made in sweatshops anyway, might as well save a buck on brand name. Besides, I don't want to have to

  • "I thought this iPod I bought would make it seem like I was part of some music revolution--that I was so plugged into the music scene, so knee-deep in a technological, counter-cultural uprising that I have to have my music with me at all times. Make no mistake, I am only mildly nearsighted, but the glasses I nevertheless wear are as big and black as the people I secretly fear when they walk past my car at stoplights. When I'm not discussing the origins of coffee brewing with a clearly disinterested Starbu
    • Saul Williams, is that you?

      That rant just needs a beat.

      -peace

    • You know, it used to be my music player for playing my music. Owning it used to mean I was cool, but now everybody on the subway has one. What do I do now? Please, please, direct me to the Next Big Thing for me to purchase so that I can continue to identify myself as someone who is young and wise to the latest trends.

      What's funny is that it's becoming kind of trendy to not own an iPod. I feel proud that I have personally started this trend by not wanting to buy things that are under on features, over on D

  • shoddy methodology (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Aurisor ( 932566 ) on Friday November 03, 2006 @10:48AM (#16702631) Homepage

    A new survey conducted by ABI Research has shown that many prospective MP3 player buyers--even owners of iPods--would be likely to choose Microsoft's Zune player. 1725 teenage and adult US residents were asked whether they planned to buy an MP3 player in the next 12 months. Of those responding that they were likely to do so, 58% of those identifying themselves as existing iPod owners and 59% of those who owned other brands said they would be "somewhat likely" or "extremely likely" to choose a Microsoft Zune player over an iPod or another brand of MP3 player.


    "Our conclusion," says principal analyst Steve Wilson, "is that iPod users don't display the same passionate loyalty to iPods that Macintosh users have historically shown for their Apple products." Only 15% of iPod owners said they were "not very likely" or "not at all likely" to choose Zune.



    I believe this article is deliberately misleading. The methodology they used HORRIBLY flawed. Let's take it apart piece by piece, shall we?


    • They interviewed 1725 teenagers and adults.
    • Of that group of people, they threw out all of them who said they were not likely to buy an MP3 player in the next 12 months. If I were a loyal, satisfied ipod owner, I would be completely discounted from this survey. Furthermore, they give no indication of how many people actually made it to this point. It's entirely possible that out of the initial 1725, only 200 were looking to buy a new mp3 player. Out of the remaining 1525, 1000 could have no interest in MP3 players at all, and the remaining 500 could be raving lunatic apple fanatics, for all we know.
    • Now, for the next step, they say 58% of the users they surveyed WHO ARE GOING TO BUY A NEW MP3 PLAYER IN THE NEXT YEAR currently own ipods. You see how sneaky this is? In the first step, they eliminated people who are happy with their current mp3 players, so this step generates this rather meaningless statistic.
    • The next step is even more of a non-sequitur. They state that 59% of the people who own other brand mp3 players say they are at least "somewhat likely" to buy a zune.

    So what's the REAL conclusion here? Let's rephrase the results of their study more accurately:


    1) 58% of the people in the market for a new mp3 player own an ipod. This statistic is useless as a measure of brand loyalty because we get no information about how many people who own ipods are satisfied. 58% of ipod owners are looking for a new mp3 player would be an interesting statistic. 58% of people looking for new mp3 players are ipod owners isn't because of the issues of sample size and the lack of any data about satisfied customers.


    2) 59% of the people in the market for a new mp3 player who bought something other than an ipod are at least "somewhat likely" to buy a zune. To simplify, if you bought an mp3 player and didn't pick the ipod last time and are buying a new one you're looking at offerings that aren't the ipod (i.e. the zune). No shit?


    Anyways, I'm not at all impressed by this survey, the methodology seems weak and I don't think there's really any useful information here.

    • As usual when I see something really insightful I don't have mod points. Who designed this stupid moderation system?
    • Another interesting item from the article:

      The consumer survey was conducted in October 2006. Respondents were provided a photo and description of the Microsoft Zune device before being asked about their likelihood to choose it over a competitive MP3 player..

      The respondents were not even able to see the Microsoft player, just a picture of it. And who knows what the description said.

      I wonder if Microsoft paid for this survey?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by sokoban ( 142301 )
        The respondents were not even able to see the Microsoft player, just a picture of it. And who knows what the description said.

        Very good point. At this point the Zune's specifications have been restated and mis-stated so many times that I have no idea what is actually going to be released on the 14th. Some 802.11 support, maybe some video support in a future upgrade. Details about the Zune are sketchy to say the least.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by dfghjk ( 711126 )
        "The respondents were not even able to see the Microsoft player, just a picture of it. And who knows what the description said."

        Imagine a best case example of what the description might have said then explain how that might have negatively impacted the results particularly in light of the stated results showing that there was no significant difference in loyalty between iPod owners and non-iPod owners. The survey may not have been accurate but there's nothing in the description that suggests that it was no

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dfghjk ( 711126 )
      "If I were a loyal, satisfied ipod owner, I would be completely discounted from this survey."

      Not true. Only if you didn't intend to buy another player in the next 12 months. Existing mp3 player owners DO buy new ones even if they're satisfied with their existing ones, just as existing mac owners buy new macs from time to time. The loyalty of owners out of the market is 100%.

      "...and the remaining 500 could be raving lunatic apple fanatics, for all we know."

      We know nothing about those people except that th
  • If ipod owners are not loyal, why haven't there been any mass defections to any of the previous ipod killers?

    Because apple created the right mix of usability, fashion, and ergonomics. Now that ipods are considered stylish, any competitor has to overcome that as well to eat into apple's market share. The fact of the matter is, the market is growing, and apple's share is probably growing as well.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dfghjk ( 711126 )
      "If ipod owners are not loyal, why haven't there been any mass defections to any of the previous ipod killers?"

      The survey says nothing about how loyalty played a part in past buying decisions and it says nothing about product merit. Perhaps previous customers WERE loyal or perhaps pervious competitors weren't good enough. The survey says nothing about these things.

      "The fact of the matter is, the market is growing, and apple's share is probably growing as well."

      The article didn't suggest otherwise. In fac

  • The Market will Speak (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Thumper_SVX ( 239525 ) on Friday November 03, 2006 @10:59AM (#16702809) Homepage
    Honestly, I own an iPod because it does exactly what I need. No more, no less. It's compact, it's resilient, it's lightweight and it doesn't weigh me down with overly complicated menu systems or functions that I'll never use. Radio? Please. There's nothing on the radio I want to hear. Wi-fi? Again, why? It's a security hole and I don't see any real need for it (especially the way the Zune implements it).

    My iPod allows me to listen to encoded CD's so I don't have to cart my CD collection around with me. It also allows me to buy music on iTMS and play that back too (only bought a few albums, but that's all I need). What more do I need from my device? OK, so my calendar and contacts are there. Groovy, they're on my phone, too so it's sort of redundant functionality for me. I own an iPod because it has decent sound quality, the device itself is pretty slick, the interface is simple and easy to work with and generally it meets my needs. What more do I want?

    I won't buy a Zune; not because it's Microsoft but because it doesn't give me any killer features that I need. Sure, conceptually the wireless music sharing is a nice idea, but cannot be implemented in a truly free way. The only way I can see it being useful for me is to be able to share limited-time sample tracks of small bands (often friends of mine) to get other friends interested in their music. But then again, I do that by email already, so it's not a killer feature there, either.

    I will run my iPod until it won't run any more. Once that dies, I'll look at the market and if the iPod is still what meets my needs and requirements with minimal fuss at a reasonable price I'll probably replace it with another iPod. If something else comes along that meets my needs better or has killer features I decide I can't live without then I'll buy that instead. Sure, this confirms what the article says somewhat, but not for the reasons implied in the article (it implies that iPod owners will drop the iPod for the Zune, that's not true).

    For reference, I'm also a Mac owner, a Linux user and a Windows admin for work. I don't particularly "keep the faith" of any manufacturer; I use what works for me.
  • iPod owners may not be as loyal to their devices

    What is society coming to, when people aren't even loyal to their device? What's next? People betraying their objects? Talking behind their machines' backs? Failing to love their neighborhood apparatus? Disrespecting their things?

    • Silly people. Some people probably think that loyalty to other people is more important than their hunk of plastic and metal mass-produced in China! How ridiculous! Family, friends, mentors, employers.... eh. I could care less. Now this piece of mass produced plastic... THAT'S something that I can really get behind! Sorry, Mom, but the 30+ years you spent taking care of me doesn't even begin to compare to my iPod!

      Why is it that people from other countries think that the US culture is sick?
  • There will probably be a lot of people trying out Zune. It will be interesting to see how many keep it as their default device, how many return it within a few weeks and how many re-buy it when it gets upgraded. People didn't just buy an iPod. They bought one for themselves, one for their significant other, a shuffle for the youngest, a nano for their daughter and then went and bought a new video ipod when they came out for themselves again. Not to mention all the gift iPods, the giveaways, etc.

    I just don't
  • .. to the most important and popular iPod: the iPod nano. Lots and lots of features is not going to change anything, because features are not the reason the iPod nano sells so well.

    The main reasons are iTunes integration, portability, has has a cool brand name and is fricking gorgeous. The Zune is neither of those things, and is currently an overhyped competitor to the regular iPod, which to be honest is becoming more of a niche market.
  • The only people who are as brand-loyal as Mac owners are buying beer or cigarettes. I say this as someone who buys all three.
  • Owners of $300 device not as loyal as owners of $2000 device! AHHHHHHHHHHH
  • I read this on another site. Apparently they were asking if you would move to a Zune, but if you would _consider_ moving. That casts it in an entirely different light. Hell, I'm a pretty big Mac fan, and I'd consider moving to the Zune.... if it played movies I downloaded off the internet, had 50 hours of battery life, a 100gb drive and cost $80. And I'm sure a lot of owners don't know the speicifics of the Zune, they were just asked "would you consider getting a Microsoft MP3 player". And most of them
  • I have purchased 2 iPods from the iPod store. I like them, but now that Zune makes iPods I might buy a Zune iPod.

  • A survey indicates that iPod owners may not be as loyal to their devices as Mac owners are to their computers, thus opening the possibility for Microsoft's Zune to enter the market.

    Whilst I have no doubt that Apple make superior hardware and software to Dell/HP/etc and Microsoft, I can't help thinking that part of this "loyalty" that Mac owners have is because once they've purchased the software to run, they have no choice in moving away from the platform unless they want to re-purchase all their softwar

    • Painful (Score:2)

      by Tony ( 765 )
      Whilst I have no doubt that Apple make superior hardware and software to Dell/HP/etc and Microsoft, I can't help thinking that part of this "loyalty" that Mac owners have is because once they've purchased the software to run, they have no choice in moving away from the platform unless they want to re-purchase all their software again.

      I think it's more that moving from OSX to MS-Windows is a painful experience. My wife, who used and liked MS-Windows at work before she got her Powerbook at home, hated her wor
  • A survey indicates that iPod owners may not be as loyal to their devices as Mac owners are to their computers, thus opening the possibility for Microsoft's Zune to enter the market. Surveyed people also indicated a high likeliness of buying the much maligned brown device. But that doesn't mean that the market is now at Microsoft's mercy."

    It might be because the computer and mp3 player market dynamics are different:

    Computer - significant investment in learning a user interface and the software you use. If y

  • I posted this comment a month ago, and more than ever I believe it to be the case:

    "It's not the iPod or the iTunes Store that are so compelling. It's iTunes itself. Until a competitor produces software that makes managing your music and video collection and getting it from your computer to your music player easier than iTunes does, there'll never be an "iPod killer", regardless of features, price, or ease of use [and topping the click-wheel navigation interface is going to be a bitch of a mountain to clim

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